The carpeting for some vehicles like automobiles is made from a woven or nonwoven yarn bonded to an adhesive layer of a thermoplastic composition like an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer which assembly is molded to a backing of a fabric of scrap textile fibers or yarns into the shape of the metal front and/or rear floor pan of the car. The textile backing of the laminate is the layer which is in contact with the metal floor pans of the car. However, the textile backing is generally not uniform and does not have satisfactory set characteristics. Disposing a thin urethane foam layer between the textile fiber layer and the thermoplastic does improve somewhat the overall properties of the carpet but does not avoid the lack of uniformity of the textile layer adjacent the metal. It is desired to replace the textile backing with a more uniform material like a polyurethane. However, the urethane foam in contact with steel plate at a temperature of about 450 degrees F. (232 degrees C.) for one hour tends to degrade (the surface layers become crumbly).
The need for a surface in contact with metal which does not heat degrade is desirable for cars which have catalytic converters which are generally positioned under the body portion of the car and which generate substantial amounts of heat during operation of the car. While the catalytic converter does contain a heat shield, it is possible that the heat shield may be damaged or lost, and it is desired to provide the carpet with a layer which does not heat degrade in the event the metal floor pan of the car becomes excessively hot due, for instance, to the loss of the heat shield from the catalytic converter.